Attachment for buggy-tops.



T. A. BRETHOI 'IWER. ATTACHMENT FUR BUGGY TOPS.

APPLICATION FILED No.25, 1908.

930,641. v Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

Svwentoz ZZZ/Ki? TONE A. BRETHOUWER, OF PRAIRIE VIEW, KANSAS.

ATTACHMENT FOR BUGG-Y-TOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

Application filed. August 25, 1908. Serial No. 450,201.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TONE A. BRETHOUWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Prairie View, in the county ofPhillips and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Attachment for Buggy-Tops, of which.

the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in attachments-for buggy tops and its object is to provide a means attachable to an ordinary buggy top for facilitating the raising and lowering of the same.

When the side curtains of a buggytop are in place it is extremelydiflicult to. letthe buggy top down without getting out of the buggy and this difficulty often leads to serious and even fatal results in the case of a runaway. i i

With the present device the occupant of a buggy may raise or lower the top with the greatest facility and if necessary with the use of but one hand. Furthermore, the device prevents rebounding of the buggy top when down as often occurs when the buggy is being driven over-rough roads and such rebounding soon racks a buggy top out ofshape. Again buggy tops after having been used for awhile become more or less loose and the side props do not properly hold. the top solid and then the buggy top will sway to and fro especially on rough roads and this not only soon racks the top out of shape but it also is the cause of considerable noise. By the present invention these various objectionable features are entirely obviated and} this is'accomplished without in any manner; changing or modifying the ordinary buggy" top, the present invention being attachable; or detachable at will, and'without requiring any change whatsoever in the buggy top lIOIlS. A

The invention comprises essentially a spring, which if desired may be so constructed as to be elongated or shortened as may be necessary, and there isalso provided a clip adapted to be attached to the side prop.

The invention likewise comprises a dog member adapted to coact with the hinge or knuckle joint of the side ro'p toprevent the two members of the si e prop from being brought into line one with the other. By means of the dog the side prop is always in condition to be flexed, when the top is u p'by simply pushing the top rearwardly while the spring 1s so arranged as to maintain the top either in the up positlon or the down position, the spring being always under such a degree of tension as to hold the top firmly in either position. i

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which drawings, i

Figure 1 is a side view of a buggy top in the up position showing the attachment applied. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a buggy top in the lowered position. Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the action of the dog applied to the knuckle or hinge joint of the side bar or prop. Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the clip to be applied to the hinged side bar for the attachment of one end of the spring thereto. Fig. v6 is a view of the spring detached from the buggy top.

Referring to the drawings there is shown an ordinary buggy top 1 which may be taken as illustrative of any type of buggy top in which the buggy top is held in the up or raised. position by means of a hinged side bar 2, the latter locking when the two members of the side bar are brought into line one with the other. There are of coursetwo side bars one on each side of thebuggy top and each bar is formed of two members hinged together with coacting shoulders on the meeting ends of the two members as indicated at 3 while the hinge is shown at 4, the said hinge and shoulders being best seen in Fig. 3.

There is provided a helical spring 5 which may be of the extension type, that is the spring is put-under stress when extended. As shown in Fig. 6 one end of the spring is provided with an eye 6 to which is pivoted a link 7 terminating in a hook 8 which latter is adapted to be applied to a button 9 at the upper front end of the buggy top, such button being usually present in ordinary types of buggy tops. The other end of the spring may be likewise formed but it is preferable to provide the said end of the spring with a nut 10 into which may be screwed the threaded end 11 of a rod 12 terminating in a hook 13 thus permitting the effective length of the spring to be adjusted to adapt it to different sizes of buggy tops. The spring however may be used without this adjustable feature if so desired. V

There is provided a U-shaped clip 14 having the free end of its legs connected by a screw 1.5 in such manner that the screw may be removed and the clip be sprung over one member of hinged side bar 2 near the up- 0 per hinged end there-oi and afterward the 1 clip may be securely clamped in place by the reinsertion and screwing upoi the screw 15. On one side of the clip 14 there is formed a projecting headed pin, 16 adapted to receive the hooked end 13 of the spring 5.

"cured to the-side barshear their upper l-iinged "eiids. The springs are then applied to the buttons 9 and pins 16 and thefsprings are of such length that when so applied the said springs are under considerable tension.

. Whenthe buggy top is up the "s tags 5 on each sidetherdlt' tend to "draw the lunged side bar or prop 2 toward the -'straight or locked position and the spring is strong enough to resist any tendency of the top to cc'fllapseor move toward the iowered position under the jars "incident to the traveling of the-bugg on rough roads. I

when the b-ii-ggy to p is moved toward the lowered position the hinge 4 is fiex'ed and the r pper member 2 of the coriespo'nding side prop moves about its upper pivoted end. This "causes a stretching "of the spring until the spring is carried past the dead center and when the retrac ion of the sprin taut-end t0 "aid in iurt-lier flexin the side prop as the bug-gywpis moved toward 'the lowered posi- 'tion. When the said lowered position is reached the side prop is thenu'iider theaction er the corresponding spring which action ta-reset alltimes to maintain the buggy top in the lo'tveredp'osiriioh, and since this ten den'c; isconstantlyeXe'rted, therebounding of the top under the shocks and jar'sincid'ent to the traveling or the buggy over ro'iigh reads is resisted by the spring most seed-wa In drder that the buggy top maybe re adily lowered by simple grasping the forward side bar soi the saidtop the side propsare always maintained in a shgh'tly'iie'Xed position w-hen the buggy top is raised and are not -permit ted'to ;ino".ve to 'theloeked position, for otherwise the top coiild not be lowered withoutfirst dexing thesaid side props b'y inoviiigthein mayhem theiralined position. To maintain each stay or side prop 2 in a slightly flexed positioneven when the buggy tOpis fully raised thereis provided aclip '17 shapedsiinilarto the c'liplt' andprovided with ja serew I8 ior claniping it to one member of the's tay'or side prOpQ. The'clip 17 is provided. with-a projecting tongue 19 ending'in -"a tooth 20 adapted when theclip 1-7isproperl'y adjusted upon a "corresponding one of "the members of the side prop to enter between the shoulders 3 so as to be engaged by the latter *Whentli'e side pro is moved 7 to the alinedposi tion and operate as a dog or stop he said side props'o as to prevent it from *temnrg into full -alinenient and 'there'by be maintained in a slightly flexed position when the top is raised. The tendency of the spring 5 is to pull the members of the side p'ro p's into ful alinement but this is prevented by the stop or dog 20 so that the side props are always in position to yield to a force l tending to lower the buggy top provided that There are of course provided two clips one for each side bar 2 and these clips are seside propsis suflicient to carry the clip '14 be yond the dead center of the upper pivot ol' the side prop and then the springs will act to automatically lower the buggy top to its lowermost position.

If the buggy top be in the down position and it is'desirable -"to raise the-same to the up position then the occupant of the buggy has but to grasp the side irons and pull the top upward in the usual manner, but as soon as the springs have passed the 'dead centeroi' the upper :pi'vot of the side props then the springs will automatically act to complete the raising of thetop and willhold the top in the raised position Without the necessity of the said top being locked in the raised-position as is necessary in ordinary buggy tops 'vvithout the attachment forming the "subject matter of the present invention.

The tension'oi the spring 5 ma be varied by adjusting the clip 14 to diiferen'tdista'nces from the pivot point of the upper section of the side prop, or the tension of the spring may be varied by screwing the rod 12 to a greater'or less eXtentinto the nut 10, or both of these methods maybe employed for-adjusting the tension of the spring.

It will be seen that whether the side curtains of thebuggy top be up or notfthis in no wise lnterferes w1th 'the raising and lowering of the buggy top as desired since it is not necessary tore'achthe side-props, more especially when it is desired to lower the buggy top. N or-is i t necessary-togetout'oi'the buggy in order 'to lower the buggy top when the side curtains are in place.

What-is claimedis:

1. In a'buggytop, thecom'bination with a spring, means for attaching the same ato'n'e end to a rigid portion of the buggy top,

means for attaching the other end of said :sprin g "to "the hinged side p'ropof the buggy top "at one side of "its connection "with -sa1d buggy top, an'd'means for 'ireven'tinglocking "alinelnen't oi the said props.

2. In a buggy'top, the combination with a hinged locking side prop, of elastic means connected to the hinged side prop and yieldingly maintaining the buggy top at either extreme of its movement, and means for preventing the movement of the prop members into locking alinement.

3. An attachment for buggy tops comprisin g a spring, means for attaching the same at one end to a rigid portion of the buggy top, means for attaching the other end of the spring to the hinged side prop of the buggy top at one side of its pivot connection to said buggy top, and a dog or stop adapted to be interposed between the ends of the hinged members of the side props for preventing locking alinement thereof.

4. An attachment for buggy tops comprising a spring, a clip for securing said spring to the side prop of the buggy top and a dog or stop adapted to be interposed betweenthe meeting ends of the hinged portion of the side props.

5. An attachment for buggy tops comprising a spring, a clip adapted to be secured to the side prop of a buggy top and provided with a pin for the reception of one end of the spring, and a clip also adapted to be attached to the side prop of the buggy top andprovided with a tooth or stop adapted to enter between the meeting edgesor shoulders of the hinge of the side pro 6. An attachment for guggy tops provided with hinged, locking side props, comprising elastic means for movin the side props toward the alined or 100 'ng position, and means interposable between the meeting ends ofthe hinge of the side props for preventing alinement of said side props.

7. An attachment for buggy tops provided with hinged locking side props, comprising elastic means for yieldingly maintaining the buggy top at either extreme of its movement,

and a stop or dog attachable to the hinged locking side props adjacent to the hinge with the dog entering between the meeting ends of the hinged portion of said side props to prevent locking alinement thereof.

8. An attachment for buggy tops provided with hinged locking side props, comprising a spring'having securing means at each end and adjustable as to the distance between said securing means, a clip adapted to clamp upon a side prop, and provided with a projecting pin to receive one end of the spring and another clip also adapted to clamp upon the side prop and provided with a projecting tooth or sto adapted to enter between the meeting en s of the members of the side props at the hin e.

In testimony t at I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

TONE A. BRETHOUVV ER.

Witnesses:

J. S. GAnBEnsoN, FRANK O. DENMAN. 

